Hate Crimes

Si�n James: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service takes to ensure that the right casework decisions are made in cases of homophobic and transphobic crime.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) regards homophobic and transphobic crimes as particularly serious and is determined to prosecute all hate crime robustly and rigorously. After extensive consultation in 2002, the CPS issued a public policy statement and related guidance for crown prosecutors explaining how such cases would be handled.
	Each CPS area has at least one homophobic crime coordinator. These coordinators provide guidance to crown prosecutors and agents; work closely with the local police and other agencies on casework and operational issues; ensure consistency of aims and approach; advise on victim and witness care issues; and make links with local LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) communities. Annual conferences for the CPS area homophobic crime coordinators are held and good practice promulgated. Each area's performance on prosecuting cases of homophobic crime is monitored and reviewed each quarter.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Solicitor-General what guidelines his Department has issued to the Crown Prosecution Service on treatment of the victims of human trafficking.

Mike O'Brien: As part of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) response to Operation Pentameter, updated guidance has been issued to specialist crown prosecutors in each CPS Area. This guidance focuses on trafficking for sexual exploitation and has been informed in part by the experiences of those who have handled trafficking cases and supported trafficked victims. It has also been taken from best practice gleaned from research from other jurisdictions.
	The guidance emphasises the importance of adhering to the standards set out in the CPS Public Policy Statement on the Delivery of Service to Victims, which places the needs of victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. This emphasises the importance of obtaining the best evidence from the victim. To do this crown prosecutors have been advised to view the case from a victim's perspective, and not purely from a lawyer's perspective.
	Further specific guidance for trafficking cases Dealing with the Victim has been issued to assist crown prosecutors in understanding the varied and complex needs of trafficked victims and the support required. This guidance has been developed for the police by CENTREX (The Police Training Organisation) in partnership with REFLEX (The Government's multi-agency response to organised immigration crime).

Witness Intimidation

Si�n James: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service undertakes when a victim of anti-social behaviour crime decides to withdraw the case following witness intimidation; and what protocols are followed in these circumstances.

Mike O'Brien: In such circumstances, a member of the prosecution team, normally the police officer in the case, will contact the victim to assess the reasons why they wish to withdraw from the prosecution process. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the police will then consider using a range of measures to re-engage the victim in the prosecution process, such as the police installing a panic alarm, clearing the public gallery at the trial, using screens or giving evidence via a video link.
	The prosecution team works to the Achieving Best Evidence Guidance issued in 2002 which deals with the care of vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. The Office for Criminal Justice Reform is currently developing new guidance on witness intimidation and the CPS has participated in the development of this guidance.

Departmental Staff

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people are employed in the Wales Office; and how many were employed in 1997-98.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office publishes its staff numbers in its annual departmental report, which is available in the House Library and at www.walesoffice.gov.uk.
	The Wales Office did not exist in 1997-98.

Climate Change

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the impact of climate change and the destruction of the rainforest on sustainable development in the Amazon basin.

Gareth Thomas: Research funded by the Government at the Hadley Centre suggests that climate change could lead to a drier climate in the Amazon Basin. A less disturbed forest will better adapt to these conditions, a more fragmented one will be more vulnerable to fire and therefore less resilient. Most climate models agree that complete removal of the Amazonian forest would lead to a drying of the climate, because local rainfall depends on recycling of water via the forest. Removal of the Amazonian forest could also affect local climates in neighbouring regions through changes in atmospheric circulation. The effect on agriculture could be profound and research by Brazil's national meteorological service suggests that the rainfall in the La Plata Basin (where much of Brazil's hydroelectric power is generated) depends on moisture transported via the atmosphere from Amazonia. In addition to these potential impacts on agricultural production and power generation, loss of forest as a result of climate change would result in significant reduction in biodiversity and access to forest products which contribute to local livelihoods. Conflicts related to access to natural resources would be exacerbated.

Doha Trade Talks

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of the latest round of Doha trade talks upon sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Hilary Benn: The Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations were suspended in July by the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and WTO General Council. This was due to a failure by the G6 countries (US, EU, Japan, Brazil, India and Australia) to reach an agreement on the core triangle of issues at the heart of the talks: market opening in the agricultural sector; cuts in subsidies paid to farmers; and increased market opening for industrial goods. While this suspension is disappointing, we will continue to press for the negotiations to be restarted at the earliest opportunity and to seek an ambitious outcome to the DDA.
	We are committed to seeking to ensure that the DDA negotiations achieve the best impact for sustainable development and poverty reduction, by unlocking the development potential of trade and giving developing countries the flexibility to sequence the opening of their markets in line with their own national development plans and poverty reduction strategies. To help achieve this, DFID has supported a number of activities to increase understanding of the impact of the DDA on development and poverty reduction and to inform negotiations. These have included a study on the impact on developing countries of the various scenarios of non-agricultural market access being discussed in the DDA negotiations, as well as a collection of expert papers on the impacts of the DDA on trade and poverty. DFID also supports a comprehensive research programme by the World Bank that covers a range of trade issues and is aimed at supporting developing countries in the context of trade negotiations.
	Our assessment is that the DDA remains the best opportunity to make progress towards the UK's long-term vision: a world trading system that is fair as well as free, with greater prosperity for developing and developed countries, resulting in reduced levels of global poverty.

Family Planning

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what bilateral aid his Department provided to family planning programmes in 2005-06.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not collect figures on spend on family planning programmes 'per se'. Our support to family planning programmes is captured within the broader category of reproductive health.
	Figures for spending on reproductive health during 2005-06 are not available yet. They are being finalised and will be published in this year's Statistics for International Development report at the end of this month; I will write to my hon. Friend once they are available.

India

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce inequality in India.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's programme in India operates in support of Government of India initiatives to reduce poverty and inequality. The Indian Government's Tenth Five Year Plan (2002 to 2007) is the basis for development co-operation between the Indian Government and DFID, and is reflected in DFID's India Country Assistance Plan 2004 to 2008.
	The tenth plan identifies equitable growth and social justice as an area of concern to be addressed through faster agricultural growth, more employment opportunities, and special programmes for the poorest groups. For agriculture, the plan focuses on food productivity, agricultural reform, investment in rural infrastructure, and incentives for crop diversification. The plan also sets targets for slow-developing states and stresses Government assistance for the poorest districts.
	DFID's support for the Government of India's efforts to reduce inequality includes:
	Rural livelihoods projects in three of DFID India's four focus statesAndhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissato improve and diversify agricultural incomes;
	Support for governance reforms to improve the effectiveness of public expenditure management, leading to the allocation of further resources targeting the poorest;
	Funding for the Poorest Areas Civil Society programme, targeting the 100 poorest districts in India;
	Programmes to increase health and education outcomes, and livelihoods options, that particularly target women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes; and
	Partnerships with the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to achieve sustainable and equitable human development.

Obstetric Fistula

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to  (a) reduce the incidence of and  (b) repair the effects of obstetric fistula in the developing world.

Gareth Thomas: The cornerstone of preventing obstetric fistula is prompt access to good quality health care when needed. DFID is committed to helping countries expand access to health care, including family planning, safe abortion services, antenatal and obstetric services, all of which are vital for preventing fistula. Meeting the existing demand for family planning services would reduce maternal deaths and injuries by over 20 per cent. DFID is the only major bilateral donor to have a strategy focused on reducing maternal mortality. Copies of the first progress report on the strategy can be found in the Library of the House.
	The effects of fistula can be devastating for the lives of girls and women, whose babies often die. Rendered incontinent they are often rejected by their husbands, thrown out of their homes and excluded from community life. DFID is therefore committed to promoting the rights of girls and women, particularly their sexual and reproductive rights, and to the elimination of harmful practices such as early marriage and female genital mutilation, which can significantly increase the risk of fistula.
	DFID targets some funding through NGOs to tackle obstetric fistula. For Example, DFID has provided a grant of 558,000 to the EngenderHealth and Women's Dignity Project to combat obstetric fistula in Tanzania and Uganda, and 140,000 to the Obstetric Fistulae in Africa Project. To compliment our country level support, DFID channels funds through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). DFID provides 20 million a year core funding and in 2004 provided 10 million specifically for reproductive health supplies. DFID also provides an annual contribution of 19 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and 12.5 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO), whose programmes support work on women's empowerment, maternal and reproductive health.

Obstetric Fistula

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had about obstetric fistula.

Gareth Thomas: On 27 June 2006 the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched a high profile media campaign on Obstetric Fistula in the UK. DFID was engaged in discussions with UNFPA regarding the overall campaign and the UK was represented at the campaign launch press conference by Baroness Amos. UNFPA's choice of the UK for the campaign was in recognition of the political commitment of the UK to addressing the Millennium Development Goal 5: 'Improve maternal health'.

St. Helena

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the provision of an airport on the Island of St Helena.

Gareth Thomas: DFID remains firmly committed to the development of air access to St. Helena, subject to rigorous environmental impact assessment and acceptable contracts. In July, all the short-listed consortia responded to the Invitation to Tender by indicating that, while they were keen to work on the project, they would not bid against the tender as it stood.
	We have reviewed the concerns raised and will shortly issue a new notice in the  Official Journal of the European Union. In doing so, we shall ensure that DFID's interest in achieving value for money is preserved.
	Work on identifying an airline to operate scheduled flights is continuing in parallel with the procurement of the airport contractor.

Sudan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian impact of the government military offensive in Darfur; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Sudan Government's recent military offensive has caused civilian displacement, predominantly in North Darfur, with approximately 20,000 new arrivals having been registered in the camps for Internally Displaced People there. Localised displacement is assumed to have taken place further north in North Darfur, but aid agency assessments have been hampered due to the ongoing conflict.
	The World Food Programme estimates that 224,000 registered beneficiaries in North Darfur could not be accessed in September due to the offensive and other inter-factional fighting. There could be a sharp rise in malnutrition rates early in 2007 if access for humanitarian agencies continues to be hampered, and fighting prevents the remaining population from harvesting their crops

Trade (Africa)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to facilitate African trade.

Hilary Benn: Last month the Chancellor and I announced that we expect UK spending on aid for trade, including economic infrastructure, to increase to $750 million by 2010. A major proportion of this will flow to Africa, including funding for transport, energy, ports and communications, as well as capacity building for trade policy and trade facilitation.
	DFID supports efforts to improve regional integrationkey to facilitating African tradeat both pan-African (support to AU-NEPAD and African Development Bank) and sub-regional levels. For example in southern Africa, DFID supports a Regional Trade Facilitation Programme and is also initiating two new programmes to facilitate trade: one to implement One Stop Border Posts to make cross border trade easier, and a Regional Standards Programme to increase capacity of the region to produce goods of export quality. DFID is also developing an extensive programme to improve the state of transport infrastructure in southern Africa, to reduce transport costs and improve the logistics of moving freight across long distances.
	DFID also provides support at national level. For example, DFID assists Lesotho's labour-intensive garment sector to retain and build its market share in a time of global upheaval. DFID also funds large-scale programmes to help countries like Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi and Rwanda reform their customs and facilitate trade.
	DFID also supports regular meetings of the Boksburg Group, an informal group of experts, government officials and business representatives of developing countries coming together to discuss how best to achieve trade facilitation reform, including in the negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
	Finally, we continue to work hard towards an ambitious global, multilateral trade deal that will bring maximum benefits for Africa.

Air Quality (Milton Keynes)

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of air quality in Milton Keynes in each year between 1997 and 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: Local authorities (LAs) have a duty under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 to review and assess the current, and likely future air quality in their areas. The first step of the review and assessment process is an Updating and Screening Assessment (USA), which is to be undertaken by all LAs, every three years, to identify those matters that have changed since the last round was completed. Where LAs consider that one or more of the nationally prescribed air quality objectives for each of the seven pollutants is unlikely to be met by the relevant deadline, they must declare an air quality management area (AQMA), covering the area where the problem is expected. These LAs must then take action, along with other agencies and organisations, to work towards meeting the air quality objectives.
	When the Local Air Quality Management system was first introduced in December 1997, LAs were advised to complete the review and assessment process by December 1999. My Department assessed Milton Keynes' air quality report in December 1999. The report concluded that further investigation was needed in respect of Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate Matter (PM10). Following monitoring and modelling, Milton Keynes concluded from the additional work that they did not need to declare an AQMA.
	The second round of reviews and assessments started in 2003 and LAs had to submit USAs by the end of May 2003, and were expected to submit either a Detailed Assessment or a Progress Report by April 2004 and April 2005 respectively. Milton Keynes submitted their USA in July 2003 and a Progress Report in both July 2004 and July 2005. They concluded that there was no need to proceed to a Detailed Assessment or declare an AQMA.
	The third round of review and assessments has now started and local authorities were asked to submit new USAs by the end of April 2006. We received Milton Keynes' report in May 2006. Our consultants have assessed the report and agreed that there is no need for Milton Keynes to carry out further work in respect of any of the pollutants.

Hazardous Waste

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when the Environment Agency's technical guidance on hazardous waste definition will be updated to take into account version 8 of the Health and Safety Executive's Approved Supply List;
	(2)  if he will instruct the Environment Agency to update its technical guidance WM2 to include all compounds listed as hazardous in version 8 of the Health and Safety Executive's Approved Supply List.

Ben Bradshaw: The Environment Agency (EA) has already published its intention to revise the technical guidance on hazardous waste definition.
	Guidance on the classification of hazardous waste is available from the EA's website and this also sets out its position regarding Approved Supply List 8. The advice can be found at: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waste/1019330/1217981/1384307/1470188/?lang= e.
	The advice states that the EA will not normally enforce the use of ASL version 8, in conjunction with WM2, until 1 November 2006. The EA intends to release a revised WM2 leading up to the 1 November 2006 deadline.
	The EA has also produced a shorter guide to the classification of hazardous waste: HWR01 What is a hazardous waste. This document refers to ASL version 8 and is available from the EA's website at: http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/pdf/GEHO0506BKTR-e-e.pdf.

Packaging

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage a reduction in the amount of packaging used by supermarkets.

Ben Bradshaw: Last year the Government launched the Courtauld Commitment, a voluntary agreement between 13 major retailers and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), to reduce packaging waste. There are three broad objectives to meet, which are:
	i. to design out packaging waste growth by 2008;
	ii. to deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by March 2010; and
	iii. to identify ways to tackle the problem of food waste.
	I will shortly be meeting with the retailers and WRAP to assess progress against these objectives, and to agree next steps. I am also meeting retailers on the 12 October to discuss ways in which we can take action to reduce the amount of plastic bags offered at the point of sale and encourage their reuse.
	There are also two sets of Regulations in place which address the environmental impact of packaging in the UK; both of which encourage producers (including retailers) to minimise packaging. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2005 are intended to increase the recovery and recycling of packaging waste. The amount of packaging waste producers have to recover and recycle, and the cost of doing so, is determined, in part, by the amount of packaging they handle. Therefore businesses can save money if they reduce the amount of packaging they deal with.
	The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003 (as amended) place a number of requirements on all packaging placed on the market in the UK, including a requirement that packaging should be manufactured so that the volume and weight are limited to the minimum adequate amount to maintain the necessary level of safety, hygiene and acceptance for the packed product and for the consumer.
	Both regulations have led to decreases in packaging used around products. However, more still needs to be done to reduce the amount of packaging that is produced. We have asked the Advisory Committee on Packaging to work with industry to find solutions to this problem and recommend ways of encouraging businesses to further reduce the amount of packaging they use.

Recycling

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the amount of commercial plastic used in England which could be recycled but that is currently not; what plans his Department has for the recycling of plastic other than bottles in England; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: According to the British Plastics Federation, an estimated 19-21 per cent. of the total plastics consumed in the UK in 2005-06 were recycled. The Government are taking action to support the reduction of plastic packaging in the waste stream and the recycling of plastics more generally.
	There are numerous different types of plastics in use, which would require separate collection (or separation after collection) and treatment facilities to recycle. It inevitably takes time for that capacity to develop. Local authorities have understandably tended to focus their attention on waste streams that make a greater contribution to their targets and for which recycling infrastructure and markets are more developed. However, with targets for household waste recycling and composting becoming ever more demanding, all local authorities will have to start tackling the more difficult waste streams like plastics.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is working to further develop efficient markets for recycled materials. WRAP'S targets for 2004-06 are to work with the plastics industry to increase the acceptance of recycled plastic throughout the supply chain, to deliver an additional 20,000 tonnes of domestic plastic bottle recycling capacity, and to ensure that an additional 11,000 tonnes of non-bottle plastics are recycled.
	The Packaging Regulations set targets for recovery and recycling of packaging waste to be met by obligated businesses each year so that the UK can meet the relevant EU directive targets by the specified deadline. The directive requires the UK to recycle 22.5 per cent. of the plastic packaging waste entering the UK waste stream by 2008. Currently around 20 per cent. of plastic packaging is recycled in the UK.
	Defra is working closely with the devolved administrations, WRAP, SWAG
	(Scottish Waste Awareness Group) and businesses to promote reusable bags and reduce the number of plastic bags entering the waste stream. More information is available on the Defra website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/plasticbags/index.htm.
	As a consequence of the Agricultural Waste Regulations coming into force, which ban agricultural plastics from being burnt or buried on farms, the Government are developing producer responsibility regulations for the collection and recovery of non-packaging farm plastics. It is envisaged that any collection scheme developed will collect both packaging and non-packaging farm plastics. The Secretary of State has allocated 1 million of the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) funding to research this and other issues; provide recommendations on the most economical way to collect plastic waste from farms; and how best to implement producer responsibility for non-packaging farm plastics.

Recycling

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of recycling by businesses.

Ben Bradshaw: Waste is a devolved matter and, in Wales, it is dealt with by the National Assembly. However, recycling by UK businesses, according to the most recent Environment Agency report, showed waste recovery rates were at record levels in 2002, with 45 per cent. of all business waste recycled or re-used.
	The landfill tax escalator gives businesses a strong financial incentive to re-use or recycle their waste. Revenue from the landfill tax escalator is recycled to businesses through the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme, which provides funding to organisations who can offer support and advice to businesses who wish to improve their resource efficiency.
	The revised Waste Strategy for England, which we will publish this winter, will outline what steps are being taken, and what more needs to be done, to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill. The public, businesses and Government all have roles to play in following more sustainable waste management practices.

Refuse Disposal

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to reorganise refuse disposal in Greater Manchester; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government have no plans to reorganise refuse disposal in Greater Manchester. The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority is responsible for waste disposal in the area. The authority is currently undertaking a procurement process for a new waste contract that will help them increase recycling and meet their Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme obligations.

Waste Management

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's total expenditure to date has been on the new technologies element of the waste implementation programme; what the projected total budget is for the programme; and how many new technology plants it is estimated will be funded.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 12 October 2006
	The Waste Implementation Programme's New Technologies workstream has a budget of 42 million over five years. To date, the expenditure has been 6.74 million.
	It is expected that nine technology plants will be built under the Demonstrator programme.

Waste Management

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports his Department has commissioned in the last two years relating to waste management in London; and at what cost.

Ben Bradshaw: In October 2005, KPMG were appointed to deliver reports on options analysis for waste management and waste planning in London, contracts and assets relating to waste management and an overarching report. Defra contributed a total of 165,844.50 including value added tax (VAT) and expenses. The Department for Communities and Local Government contributed a further 23,500 including VAT, and the Government Office for London contributed 13,806.25 including VAT.
	In February 2006, SLR were appointed to undertake an analysis of responses, concerning waste, to the consultation on The Greater London Authority: The Government's proposals for additional powers and responsibilities for the Mayor and Assembly. Defra contributed 36,953.75 including VAT and expenses.
	In early 2005, Mott MacDonald were jointly commissioned by Defra and the Greater London Authority to undertake a report on Opportunities for efficiency gains in waste management services; London Pilot Study. Defra contributed a total of 190,556.45 excluding VAT plus expenses.

Waste Management

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources he is making available for the dedicated London Waste Infrastructure Development Programme announced in July in the Greater London Authority: The Government's Final Proposals for Additional Powers and Responsibilities for the Mayor and Assembly.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste Infrastructure Development Programme (WIDP) was announced in May 2006 and will work nationally with local authorities and the regions to accelerate the building of new waste diversion infrastructure. The Mayor of London and the Government will work together closely on the London component of the programme.
	The WIDP is not an additional allocation of funding to a region, but an opportunity to provide extra specialist support to London authorities. The purpose of the WIDP is to ensure that where major infrastructure is required, additional expertise will be targeted at key points in the planning and procurement process, including operational reviews, to help authorities deliver that infrastructure. This will be a welcome additional resource nationally, where specialist skills are often lacking in this sector, as identified in the recent Second Kelly Market Review. The WIDP will dedicate a senior and experienced member of its team to develop and expedite projects in London, with specialist support available from the national team when required.

Waste Management

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his specific proposals for waste management in London announced in July were one of the options in the original consultation document on new powers for the Greater London Authority; and if so, who supported them.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government announced, on 13 July, a package of measures on waste that will help London improve its performance without change to current structures.
	A number of broad proposals on the future powers and responsibilities of the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority (GLA) were put forward in the public consultation carried out by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) between November 2005 and February 2006. These included an option where the current structure for waste management would remain the same. Consultees were also asked whether there were any additional powers that could be given to the GLA that would enable the current structure to work better.
	A summary of consultation responses is available from the DCLG's website at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1501733.

Waste Management

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what ways the package of measures for waste management set out in the Government's Policy Statement The Greater London Authority: The Government's final proposals for additional powers and responsibilities for the Mayor and the Assembly promotes  (a) the use of hydrogen as a transport or stationary fuel source and  (b) the use of new technologies to provide renewable sources of hydrogen from waste.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 12 October 2006
	The package of measures set out by the Government provides the Mayor with increased powers and responsibility to deliver his municipal waste management strategy and spatial development strategy for London. The Mayor sets out policies relating to new technologies and renewable energy, which may include hydrogen production, in his municipal waste management strategy. The enhancement of his powers to require waste authorities to deliver services in general conformity with his strategy, along with his existing power of direction, will help ensure the strategic vision the Mayor sets out for London is delivered on the ground.
	The Waste and Recycling Forum announced as part of the package will be led by the Mayor to co-ordinate activity across different sectors and address the key strategic issues facing London. The Waste and Recycling Fund is associated with this and should be used to link waste with other London priorities such as transport and climate change. The Mayor leads on the London Hydrogen Partnership, which has just released a report on hydrogen as the bus fuel of the future, where he is working to introduce 70 hydrogen vehicles. I will be interested to see how he takes this forward and links it with waste.
	In addition, there will be a dedicated London element to the Waste Infrastructure Development Programme (WIDP), which was announced in May 2006, providing a strong role for the Mayor in working with local authorities and the regions to accelerate the building of new waste diversion infrastructure. These revised arrangements should enable the Mayor, boroughs and central Government together to consider more strategically the role of new technologies for treating London's waste, including the scope for hydrogen generation.

Waste Management

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the consultancy reports which have been commissioned by  (a) his Department and  (b) the Government Office for London on the review of waste management arrangements in London.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 12 October 2006
	The relevant reports by KPMG have been published on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/localauth/.
	The Government intend to publish shortly the SLR report on the analysis of responses concerning waste to the consultation on The Greater London Authority: The Government's proposals for additional powers and responsibilities for the Mayor and Assembly. This report will also be made available on the Defra website.
	The Mott MacDonald report, jointly commissioned by Defra and the Greater London Authority (GLA), Opportunities for efficiency gains in waste management services; London Pilot Study, has been published on the GLA's website: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/waste/lswa/index.isp

Waste Management

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the conclusions of the panel report on the Early Alterations to the London Plan relating to new technologies for waste.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 12 October 2006
	The Government do not have a formal role in commenting on the Panel Report, but we welcome its publication and have noted its conclusions. We await the Mayor's revised policies in his Intend to Publish version of the plan.

Waste Management

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of London's waste is managed within the capital.

Ben Bradshaw: It is estimated that London currently deals with approximately 60 per cent. Of all its waste within its own administrative boundaries.
	The Mayor has set a target for London to manage 85 per cent. of its total waste within its administrative boundaries by 2020 (80 per cent. for municipal solid waste).

Waste Management

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of London's waste authorities did not meet their statutory household waste recycling targets in 2005-06; and what measures within the Government's Policy Statement The Greater London Authority: The Government's final proposals for additional powers and responsibilities for the Mayor and the Assembly are designed to improve the level of performance.

Ben Bradshaw: Data on local authority household waste recycling and composting performance in 2005-06 should be available later this year.
	Analysis based on un-audited data estimates that, in 2005-06, local authorities in England recycled and composted about 27 per cent. of household waste, thus provisionally exceeding our Public Service Agreement target of 25 per cent.
	The London-wide Waste and Recycling Forum, which was announced in The Government's Final Proposals for Additional Powers and Responsibilities for the Mayor and Assembly, will bring together key interested parties, including London waste authorities, to improve waste minimisation and recycling. The Waste and Recycling Fund is associated with this and should be used to link waste with other London priorities such as transport and climate change.

Waste Management

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of the package of measures for waste management set out in the Government's Policy Statement 'The Greater London Authority: The Government's final proposals for additional powers and responsibilities for the Mayor and the Assembly' are intended  (a) to increase London's recycling and recovering capacity for its municipal waste and  (b) to ensure the most effective use of London's blue ribbon network to transport waste within London.

Ben Bradshaw: The London-wide Waste and Recycling Forum, announced in The Government's Final Proposals for Additional Powers and Responsibilities for the Mayor and Assembly, will bring together key interested parties, including London waste authorities, to improve waste minimisation and recycling, promote collaborative action and link waste with other London priorities around climate change, transport and employment.
	In addition, there will be a dedicated London element to the Waste Infrastructure Development Programme (WIDP), announced in May 2006, providing a strong role for the Mayor in working with local authorities to accelerate the building of new waste diversion infrastructure, allowing London to manage more of its waste within the city.
	The Mayor has also gained increased powers and responsibility to deliver his municipal waste management strategy and spatial development strategy for London. In his waste strategy, the Mayor sets out a number of policies and proposals relating to the transportation of waste, including the use of rivers and canals, which form part of the Blue Ribbon Network. The enhancement of his powers to require waste authorities to deliver services in general conformity with his strategy, along with his existing power of direction, will help ensure the strategic vision the Mayor sets out for London is delivered on the ground.
	Further information is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government's website at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1500896

Waste Management

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when the Government plan to complete and publish its major review of waste strategy;
	(2)  when his Department will publish the findings of the Waste Strategy Review;
	(3)  when the Waste Strategy review will be published.

Ben Bradshaw: On 2 August this year, Defra published a summary of the responses to the consultation on the review of England's Waste Strategy. The summary can be viewed at the following website address: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/wastestratreview/index.htm
	We are carefully considering all responses to the consultation while developing our policies for the revised strategy. We intend to publish the revised Waste Strategy for England in the New Year.

Waste Management

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to support new waste technologies in London.

Ben Bradshaw: The new technologies workstream of Defra's Waste Implementation Programme focuses on the biodegradable element of municipal waste in England. It aims to overcome the barriers to the successful development and take-up of proven and near-market waste technologies by providing a comprehensive package of support to local authorities and other interested parties. This is being done through the following programmes:
	(i) the Supporter Programme provides impartial information, advice and training to local authorities, including those in London, on a variety of aspects related to new and emerging waste management technologies;
	(ii) the Education and Training Programme provides opportunities for those working in the waste industry to gain formal qualifications in sustainable waste management and new waste management technologies;
	(iii) the Technology Research and Innovation Fund provides funding for Research and Development projects into innovative new technologies which will help England's obligations to reduce the amount of BMW going to landfill; and
	(iv) the Demonstrator Programme provides 30 million of assistance to establish new waste treatment technology demonstration projects.
	The Waste and Recycling Forum was announced on 13 July as part of the package of measures which provides the Mayor with increased powers and responsibility to deliver his municipal waste management strategy and spatial development strategy for London. It will be led by the Mayor to co-ordinate activity across different sectors and address the key strategic issues facing London. The Waste and Recycling Fund is associated with this and should be used to link waste with other London priorities such as transport and climate change. This is likely to include looking at the role of renewable energy and new technologies in treating London's waste.

Waste Management

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to improve the co-ordination of the management of  (a) municipal and  (b) other waste streams in London; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: On 13 July this year, the Government announced the outcome of their review of the powers and responsibilities of the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority. As part of this, the Government announced a package of measures which provides the Mayor with increased powers and responsibility to deliver his municipal waste management strategy and spatial development strategy for London. The enhancement of his powers to require waste authorities to deliver services in general conformity with his strategy, along with his existing power of direction, will help ensure the strategic vision the Mayor sets out for London is delivered on the ground.
	As part of the proposals, the Mayor will lead a London-wide Waste and Recycling Forum to co-ordinate activity across different sectors and address the key strategic issues facing London. The Waste and Recycling Fund is associated with this and should be used to link waste with other London priorities such as economic development, transport and climate change. Other improvements, such as providing stronger powers for the Mayor to determine strategic waste planning applications and the London component of the Waste Infrastructure Development programme, will also help establish facilities and infrastructure necessary to co-ordinate the management of municipal and other waste streams within London.
	The Mayor is producing a wider waste strategy for London that will be looking at non-municipal waste streams and I look forward to seeing this when it is released for consultation.

M18 (Pipe and Cable Laying)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason a pipe and cables are being laid alongside the north bound carriageway of the M18 motorway between junctions 3 and 4; and why such excavation has not taken place at a sufficient distance from the motorway to allow later carriageway widening without future disruption.

Stephen Ladyman: Works to lay pipes alongside the northbound carriageway of the M18 motorway between junctions 3 and 4, is being carried out outside of the Highways Agency boundary by Yorkshire Water for the expansion of Nutwell Waste Water Treatment Plant.
	There are no current proposals to widen the M18 motorway, however the position of the pipes, approximately 15 metres from the boundary, would not have an adverse impact should there be any future widening schemes.

Railways

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers travelled on the West Coast Main Line in each of the last five years; and what the total number of passenger miles travelled was in that period.

Tom Harris: Statistics on passenger rail journeys are published by the Office of Rail Regulation in National Rail Trends. The 2005-06 yearbook edition covers passenger journeys on each train operator, including Virgin West Coast, but figures are not available for the whole of the West Coast Main Line.

Railways

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what total amount of freight was moved by rail in each of the last 20 years.

Tom Harris: Statistics relating to the amount of rail freight moved in the years from 1986 to 2004 are published in the Transport Statistics Great Britain document which is available on the Department for Transport's website (www.dft.gov.uk). The equivalent information for 2005 is available in the Rail Trends document that the Office of Rail Regulation publishes on its website: www.rail-reg.gov.uk. Copies of both documents are held in the House Library.

Railways

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of rail track have been replaced in each of the last 20 years.

Tom Harris: This is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question.
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Railways

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what Government spending on British Rail was in the last full year before privatisation; and what the most recent full year's subsidy was of  (a) the privatised rail companies and  (b) Network Rail or its predecessor.

Tom Harris: Details of historic Government expenditure on rail are contained in National Rail Trends (NRT) copies of which are in the Library of the House. NRT is also available on the Office of Rail Regulation's website at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.129

Sussex Coastal Services

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what opportunity for journey time reductions for Sussex Coastal Services he assesses that the Brighton Mainline Utilisation Strategy may afford.

Tom Harris: The DfT published a consultation document on 29 September 2006 which set out four options for implementation of the Brighton Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy [RUS]. The principal focus of the RUS is on delivery of increased capacity to relieve crowding on peak London commuting services and improved operational performance. However, all the options are also expected to deliver an improvement in journey times between Sussex coast stations and London termini due to the provision of separate services to and from the east and west coastway routes in place of the present combined services. Elimination of the time penalty when trains split or join at Haywards Heath is expected to reduce the overall journey time of these trains by between three and seven minutes, though this is subject to confirmation as the details of the new timetable are developed.

Community Libraries (Buckinghamshire)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when announcements on arrangements for  (a) community libraries and  (b) family learning will be made in relation to applications from Buckinghamshire.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Community Libraries programme was launched on 9 October 2006 and the Family Learning Programme was launched on 19 September 2006. Both programmes are available throughout England.
	Community Libraries is open to all local authority library services through a competitive application process.
	Family Learning grants will be awarded through a competitive application process which is open to statutory, voluntary and private sector organisations (statutory and private sector applicants must apply in partnership with a voluntary sector organisation).
	The Big Lottery Fund expect to be in a position to make the first grant awards under the Family Learning Programme in the first half of 2007 and under the Community Libraries in the second half of 2007.

Curriculum Online

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what date work on the Curriculum Online website began; and on what date it received its first hit.

Jim Knight: Work began on the Curriculum Online website in May 2002. The site received its first hit in December 2002 when it was previewed by a controlled group of 50,000 users (teachers and suppliers) and was officially launched by Charles Clarke at the BETT show on January 9 2003.

Curriculum Online

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what contracts and sub-contracts were awarded to set up and maintain Curriculum Online; and what the  (a) value and  (b) duration was in each case.

Jim Knight: Over 100 individual contracts have been awarded over the last four years to support all the different aspects of Curriculum Online such as website design, infrastructure, portal development, hosting and distribution, eLC payment system, metadata schema, tagging tool, vocabularies, application support, technical standards, helpdesks, evaluation, user testing, consultancy support, registration and compliance, legal services, marketing and communications, copywriting/pr/web, design/creative, print/production, advertising, sponsorship/promotion, display materials, promotional video, exhibitions/events and so on.
	Due to the scope of the request, we are unable to reply on the grounds of costs. We estimate that the cost of processing the request exceeds the disproportionate cost threshold (DCT) of 700.

Emotional and Behavioural Disorders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what guidance is offered to  (a) local education authorities and  (b) head teachers on dealing with children with emotional and behavioural disorders;
	(2)  what measures are in place to ensure children with emotional and behavioural disorders are taught in an environment suitable for their condition.

Parmjit Dhanda: DfES guidance relating to children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) is directed to both local authorities and head teachers. This includes the SEN Code of Practice (2001), and Promoting Children's Mental Health within Early Years and School Settings (2001). With the Department's BESD Working Group, which includes head teachers, leaders of PRUs, educational psychologists, representatives from CAMHS and key voluntary and professional organisations, we are currently considering further, targeted guidance for schools.
	In addition to guidance, specialist training materials and opportunities for accreditation have been made available for some 500 staff across the country who have particular responsibilities for BESD.
	Our guidance on exclusion from school also makes it clear that schools must do their best to ensure that the necessary provision is made for pupils with special educational needs and that, other than in the most exceptional circumstances, schools should avoid permanently excluding pupils with statements. We will be revising our guidance on school behaviour policies to strengthen advice on making reasonable adjustments for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
	On suitable environments for children with BESD, the SEN Code of Practice requires all local authorities to provide appropriate settings, either through mainstream schools, BESD special schools, or PRUS, with a flexible continuum of provision to meet the particular needs of children with BESD. Where a child has complex needs the statutory framework makes clear the need for children to be assessed individually and for authorities to take into consideration the views of parents.
	Further details on the Government's programme for BESD will shortly be announced in our response to the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee SEN Third Report of Session 2005-06.

Emotional and Behavioural Disorders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many children in each local education authority area, diagnosed with emotional and behavioural disorders were being taught in a mainstream educational facility in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many places in each local education authority area were available for children with emotional and behaviour disorders in England in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Information on the number of places available for children with Behaviour, Emotional and Social Difficulties is not collected centrally.
	Information was collected from schools on pupils who are supported at School Action Plus and those pupils with a statement of special educational needs (SEN) about their main or primary need and, if appropriate, their secondary need for the first time in 2004.
	There are a number of sensitivities about categorising pupils in this way. It is important that anyone using the data should be aware of the concerns and also understand the limitations of the data's reliability and validity. There are a range of factors which may affect the data recorded, including:
	Local interpretation of definitions
	Classification of children with multiple needs
	Differences in diagnoses between education and health professionals
	Availability of special school provisions in Authorities
	A table showing information on the number of pupils being taught in a maintained mainstream school who have statements of special educational needs or are supported at School Action Plus and who have Behaviour, Emotional and Social Difficulties as their primary need has been placed in the House Library.

Free Nursery Places

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the impact on private and independent nursery providers of the new code of practice on the funding of free nursery places for three and four-year-olds.

Beverley Hughes: The single substantive change to the delivery of the free early education entitlement made in the 2006 Code of Practice was the extension of the free entitlement from 33 to 38 weeks. We conducted a full public consultation on the 2006 Code from June to October 2005, to which 585 responses were received, the majority from private providers who were generally content with the proposed extension to 38 weeks. A summary of responses is available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/conResults.cfm?consultationld=1329
	Additional funding of 82 million in financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 has been made available to local authorities to deliver the additional weeks and a number of measures were included in the Code of Practice to aid the transition, to support parental choice and to reflect provider circumstances. These included: allowing that the 38 weeks provision could be delivered by a single provider or by providers in cooperation; indicating that where a parent decided explicitly that they wanted to take their provision with a provider offering only 33 weeks they could do so and the provider would be paid for that period; and recommending that the transition be phased over a year.

GCSE

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to ensure that more pupils achieve grade C or above in English and mathematics at GCSE level.

Jim Knight: We are committed to increasing the number of pupils achieving grade C or above at GCSE level. Over 365,000 pupils are achieving grade C or above in English, and nearly 329,000 are doing so in mathematics. Compared to 1997, around 52,000 more pupils are now achieving five or more A*-C GCSEs including English and mathematics. For the first time, in 2008, local authorities and schools will be required to set targets for the proportion of pupils achieving five A*-C GCSEs, including English and mathematics.
	Throughout all Key Stages we have made efforts to ensure that standards of attainment in English and mathematics continue to rise. We know from experience that children who achieve level 4 (the expected level for their age) or above in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 tests are more likely to achieve grade C or above in their English and mathematics GCSEs. The reforms we are pushing through at primary level, particularly the renewed Primary Framework for Literacy and Mathematics, will play an important part in helping children achieve more at GCSE.
	The Secondary National Strategy is improving the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom by providing a comprehensive professional development programme for teachers, including training, materials and support from local consultants who are experts in their field. Support is also available to help teachers deliver effective tailored interventions for pupils who have fallen behind, particularly in English and mathematics. This includes additional funding, structured teaching resources for use with individuals and small groups, and training on how to use these resources effectively. We are also piloting a model, Study Plus, of extra support for Key Stage 4 pupils at risk of missing a grade C.
	The 14-19 Education and Skills White Paper set out our proposals to strengthen and improve GCSEs, with a particular emphasis on English and mathematics. We will continue work to reform mathematics and improve motivation and progression. In response to Professor Adrian Smith's Post-14 Maths Inquiry, we have withdrawn the three-tier mathematics GCSE and replaced it with a two-tier qualification, meaning that all pupils will have the opportunity of achieving a grade C; and have established a National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. We are also making changes to the mathematics curriculum to better meet the needs of diverse employers and individual pupils. As part of our overhaul of literacy and numeracy qualifications, mathematics and English GCSEs will be restructured to place functional skills at their heart. In addition, the review of the Key Stage 3 national curriculum will provide greater flexibility for teachers to meet pupils' needs and opportunities to concentrate on securing the basics in English and mathematics.

Phonics Scheme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether the evaluation of the pilot phonics scheme announced on 26 July 2005 included a comparison of the effectiveness of alternative interventions;
	(2)  whether the evaluation of the pilot phonics scheme announced on 26 July 2005 included the use of standardised reading and spelling tests;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the pilot phonics scheme announced on 26 July 2005.

Jim Knight: The phonics pilot scheme referred to (the Early Reading Development Pilot) was designed to test whether phonic work could be taught faster and more systematically to bring about better literacy outcomes for children while still maintaining the benefits of the broader foundation stage curriculum. The scheme, which began before Jim Rose's report was published, was based on existing Primary National Strategy teaching materials and therefore did not generate information on the effectiveness of alternative interventions.
	In line with statutory guidance for the age group involved (four and five-year-olds), children were assessed against the relevant early learning goals within the foundation stage profile. Teachers regularly assessed children's progress in acquiring knowledge of the 44 phonemes (sounds) in the English language and in their ability to use this knowledge to read and spell unfamiliar words. Feedback from the programme suggests the approaches used have led to improvements in the development of phonic knowledge and skills, without compromise to children's wider development. An independent consultant reviewed the work undertaken by schools and early years settings as part of the pilot, looking at areas such as data and the progress made by practitioners and children in following the pilot approaches. This confirmed that there had been a positive impact on children's progress and on practitioners' confidence and expectations of children's attainment.
	We are implementing Jim Rose's recommendations through the new primary framework for literacy and mathematics and will be using the outcomes of the pilot to help inform implementation.

Student Loans

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people owe money to the Student Loans Company, broken down by those who owe  (a) 1,000-3,000,  (b) 3,001-6,000,  (c) 6,001-10,000,  (d) 10,001-15,000 and  (e) over 15,001.

Bill Rammell: The table shows UK borrowers with publicly-owned student loans in March 2006 by bands of amount owed.
	
		
			  000 
			   Income-contingent loans  Mortgage-style loans 
			 Less than 1,000 108.2 147.2 
			 1,000-3,000 428.8 225.7 
			 3,001-6,000 452.0 173.1 
			 6,001-10,000 609.6 44.6 
			 10,001-15,000 540.5 2.0 
			 Greater than 15,000 152.0  
			 All borrowers 2,291.1 592.5 
			  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	The table shows all borrowers, including those not yet due to repay and those below the relevant income threshold for repayment who entered Higher Education up to academic year 2005/06. Borrowers are shown by the size of their loan balance in March 2006.

Sure Start

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Sure Start programmes there are; and how many children are covered by such programmes in  (a) each constituency and  (b) county.

Beverley Hughes: There were 524 Sure Start local programmes in England covering over 420,000 children under four. Over 400 of these are now designated as Sure Start Children's Centres and we expect all Sure Start local programmes to become children's centres in due course and contribute to our target to create 3,500 children's centres by 2010. The 1,000(th) Children's Centre was awarded recently, seeking out interim milestone ahead of schedule.
	We do not hold information on the constituencies or counties covered by each local programme. The following table lists the number of Sure Start local programmes in each local authority and the number of children under four covered.
	
		
			  Local authority  Number of local programmes  Children covered 
			 Barking and Dagenham 4 2,585 
			 Barnet 1 722 
			 Barnsley 5 3,065 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 1 842 
			 Bedfordshire 1 762 
			 Bexley 1 802 
			 Birmingham 12 8,893 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 5 3,878 
			 Blackpool 3 1,527 
			 Bolton 4 3,479 
			 Bournemouth 1 640 
			 Bradford 8 7,438 
			 Brent 3 2,684 
			 Brighton and Hove 2 1,022 
			 Bristol 4 3,968 
			 Bromley 1 643 
			 Buckinghamshire 1 1,020 
			 Bury 1 819 
			 Calderdale 3 2,185 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 1,301 
			 Camden 5 4,948 
			 Cheshire 4 3,253 
			 Cornwall 7 4,792 
			 Coventry 4 3,517 
			 Croydon 1 1,339 
			 Cumbria 5 4,035 
			 Darlington 2 1,419 
			 Derby City 4 2,534 
			 Derbyshire 5 3,969 
			 Devon 4 2,795 
			 Doncaster 6 3,898 
			 Dorset 1 794 
			 Dudley 3 2,281 
			 Durham County 12 8,945 
			 Ealing 2 1,914 
			 East Riding of Yorks 1 872 
			 East Sussex 6 3,539 
			 Enfield 1 1,849 
			 Essex 4 2,584 
			 Gateshead 4 2,683 
			 Gloucestershire 2 1,713 
			 Greenwich 5 3,675 
			 Hackney 7 6,925 
			 Halton 5 4,506 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3 2,193 
			 Hampshire 2 1,660 
			 Haringey 6 4,871 
			 Hartlepool 3 2,234 
			 Havering 1 902 
			 Herefordshire 1 720 
			 Hillingdon 1 640 
			 Hounslow 1 640 
			 Isle of White 1 1,027 
			 Islington 6 4,973 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2 1,741 
			 Kent 9 6,719 
			 Kingston Upon Hull 7 6,428 
			 Kirklees 5 3,663 
			 Knowsley 5 3,169 
			 Lambeth 6 5,116 
			 Lancashire 17 1,2342 
			 Leeds 8 6,026 
			 Leicester City 6 4,922 
			 Leicestershire 1 801 
			 Lewisham 5 3,427 
			 Lincolnshire 7 4,987 
			 Liverpool 10 8,081 
			 Luton 1 741 
			 Manchester 11 8,559 
			 Medway Towns 1 1,124 
			 Merton 1 739 
			 Middlesbrough c 3,320 
			 Milton Keynes 1 798 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 7 4,887 
			 Newham 8 12,579 
			 Norfolk 8 5,425 
			 North East Lincolnshire c 3,240 
			 North Lincolnshire 2 1,656 
			 North Somerset 1 1,026 
			 North Tyneside 3 2,262 
			 North Yorkshire 2 1,559 
			 Northamptonshire 4 2,623 
			 Northumberland c 4,473 
			 Nottingham City 8 5,837 
			 Nottinghamshire 9 6,984 
			 Oldham 5 3,211 
			 Oxford City 1 541 
			 Peterborough 3 2,394 
			 Plymouth 4 3,642 
			 Portsmouth 2 1,747 
			 Reading 1 780 
			 Redbridge 1 904 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 4 2,733 
			 Rochdale 5 4,704 
			 Rotherham 3 2,465 
			 Salford 5 3,236 
			 Sandwell 7 5,842 
			 Sefton 4 2,772 
			 Sheffield 8 6,386 
			 Shropshire 2 1,394 
			 Slough 1 695 
			 Solihull 1 1,059 
			 Somerset 3 2,139 
			 South Tyneside 5 2,554 
			 Southampton 3 2,019 
			 Southend on Sea 1 654 
			 Southwark 7 6,592 
			 St. Helens 5 12,443 
			 Staffordshire 5 4,158 
			 Stockport 1 412 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 5 3,916 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 6 4,946 
			 Suffolk 3 2,540 
			 Sunderland 7 5,463 
			 Sutton 1 865 
			 Swindon 1 804 
			 Tameside 4 2,864 
			 Telford and Wrekin 2 1,465 
			 Thurrock 1 878 
			 Torbay 2 1,458 
			 Tower Hamlets 7 6,505 
			 Trafford 1 429 
			 Wakefield 4 2,953 
			 Walsall 5 3,906 
			 Waltham Forest 4 3,458 
			 Wandsworth 2 1,765 
			 Warrington 2 1,494 
			 Warwickshire 2 1,120 
			 West Sussex t 1,552 
			 Westminster 3 2,536 
			 Wigan 2 1,471 
			 Wirral 4 3,103 
			 Wolverhampton 5 4,226 
			 Worcestershire 3 2,190 
			 York 1 598 
			 Total 524 420,149

Teachers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of newly qualified teachers have entered the fee paying sector after qualifying each year for the past three years.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the number and percentage of final year trainees gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) awarded by academic years 2002/03 to 2004/05 and known to be employed in a teaching post in the non-maintained sector six months into the subsequent academic year.
	
		
			  Final Year Trainees( 1)  gaining QTS award by academic year and known to be employed in a teaching post in the non-maintained sector six months into the subsequent academic year 
			   Academic year of qualification 
			   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			 Number 929 1,039 1,162 
			 Percentage(2) 4 4 4 
			 (1) Includes those trained through English ITT colleges, the Open University and SCITTs and excludes those qualifying by employment based routes (EBRs).(2) Percentage calculation includes response whose employment status was unknown and also those in a teaching post but the sector is unknown. Source: Performance Profiles Final year trainee data, awarded QTS Mainstream data (Excluding EBR)

Access to Information

Julie Morgan: To ask the Leader of the House what plans he has to make the proceedings of the House clearer to the public.

Jack Straw: Making the proceedings of the House clearer to the public is an objective to which the select committee on Modernisation of the House, which I chair, accords a high priority in its work and to which I am committed. In its recent report on the Legislative Process (First Report, session 2005-06, HC 1097) a number of proposals sought to address the issue, including recommendations relating to the naming of committees, provision of Explanatory Notes on Lords Amendments and possibly in due course on amendments tabled in committee, and greater information about Bills on the parliamentary website.
	The House of Commons Commission, on which I sit, is also active in taking forward proposals area arising from the work of the Modernisation Committee in its inquiry in the 2003-04 session into Connecting Parliament with the Public.

Business Assistance (Cumbria)

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his plans are for the new business advisory service which will replace Business Link in Cumbria.

Margaret Hodge: Following a review of current activities, the North West Development Agency has decided that the Business Link service in the North West should move from the current five sub regional suppliers to a single regional provider from April 2007. Services to business will still be delivered at the appropriate local level. Priorities and strategy for the future Business Link service will be determined by the new Regional Economic Strategy and Business Link will provide a consistent service accessible to businesses across the region.

Energy Prices

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the value of  (a) oil and  (b) gas reserves in the UK continental shelf at (i) budget forecast and (ii) world prices.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 12 October 2006
	While the Department of Trade and Industry publishes estimates of remaining UK Continental Shelf oil and gas reserves on its Oil and Gas website (at http://www.og.dti.gov.uk/informationybb_updates/chapters/reserves_index.htm), the Department does not produce estimates of the value of these reserves. The Office for National Statistics does publish such estimates (most recently at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=149), with total reserves at the end of 2004 valued by them at 108 billion.

Internet Neutrality

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department has had with  (a) other Departments,  (b) telecommunications companies and  (c) other interested parties on internet neutrality; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Department has discussed the issue of net neutrality with telecommunications companies, internet service providers and other interested parties via open stakeholder meetings in preparing the UK response to the EU Commission Communication on the review of the European regulatory framework for electronic communication and services.
	Details about the preparation of the UK input to the review (including notes of meetings) can be found on the DTI website: http://www.dti.gov.uk/sectors/telecoms/2006review/page26449.html.

Post Office

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was allocated to support the rural post office network in each of the last 20 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There was no financial support provided to the rural post office network until this Government introduced the Social Network Payment in 2003. Allocations since then have been: 146 million in financial year 2003-04; 151 million in 2004-05; and 147 million in 2005-06. For this and the next financial year we have made available up to 150 million per annum. Additionally, 2 million was made available under the Capital Start-up scheme introduced in July 2001.

UK Electricity Generation

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of UK electricity-generating capacity can use more than one fuel type.

Malcolm Wicks: At the end of December 2005, out of a total UK generating plant capacity of 81.7 GW, 4.9 GW or 6 per cent. was accounted for by mixed or dual-fired conventional steam stations. In addition data collected during 2004 showed that 4.6 GW of Combined Cycle Gas Turbine capacity (an additional 5.5 per cent. of total generating capacity) had access to distillate as a back-up fuel.

Afghanistan

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the latest estimate is of opiate seizures in Afghanistan since the start of UK operations there.

Geoff Hoon: It is difficult to obtain precise opiate seizure figures since UK operations in Afghanistan began in 2002 due to the absence of adequate information systems at that time.
	Further to my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Kim Howells, written answer of 14 July 2006,  Official Report, column 2133W, in response to a question from the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey), in which he referred to a total of 186.6 tonnes of opiate equivalents seized for the period May 2005 to June 2006, the Afghan Ministry of Interior have recently revised their estimate of total seizures. They estimate for the period 1 May 2005 to 11 October 2006, 115.3 tonnes of opiate equivalents were seized.

Departmental Child Care Facilities

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what child care  (a) provision and  (b) assistance is available to her Department's staff.

Geoff Hoon: There are two in-house nurseries, one at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Main Building, King Charles Street and the other at Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes.
	The London Nursery has a total of 36 places. These are subsidised and the fees range from 23 to 34 per day.
	The Hanslope Park nursery has a total of 50 places. Fees are 139 per week for under-2s and 126 for children two and over.
	The FCO introduced the Salary Sacrifice Childcare Vouchers Scheme on 1 April 2006. This enables staffto purchase child care vouchers up to the value of243 per month by sacrificing the equal amount of salary. The resulting saving in tax and national insurance to the individual officer is up to the value of 1,200 per year.
	The FCO pay a 50 per cent. subsidy to the Westminster Playscheme to enable FCO staff to take up places for their school-age children during normal school holidays.

Ethiopia/Somalia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with  (a) the Ethiopian Government and  (b) the leader of the Somalian Union of Islamic Courts to try to avert conflict.

Ian McCartney: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, and our ambassador in Addis Ababa and his staff have frequent discussions with Prime Minister Meles and other representatives of the Government of Ethiopia about the situation in Somalia. We do not have any bilateral contacts with the Union of Islamic Courts, which is not a single entity, but officials take part in multilateral meetings outside Somalia where various of their representatives are present. We continue to urge all parties inside and outside Somalia to refrain from action that could provoke violence, to respect the UN arms embargo on Somalia and to pursue a peaceful resolution through dialogue under the Khartoum process.

European Union

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the evidential basis is for her statement in Prospects for the EU in 2006 (Cm 6896), that the Services Directive as agreed in the Competitiveness Council will create 600,000 new jobs and boost wages by 0.5 per cent. across the EU and will add 31 billion euros to EU gross domestic product; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The source of these figures is a study conducted by Copenhagen Institute of Economics titled the 'Economic Assessment of the barriers to the Internal Market for Services 2005'. The study was commissioned by the European Commission.
	The analysis from consultants Copenhagen Economics found that all member states will benefit in terms of job creation and gross domestic product growth from the Services Directive. Specifically, for the EU, they estimate that the directive:
	is worth around  30 billion annually;
	could create up to 600,000 new jobs; and
	could lead to an increase in real wages of up to 0.4 per cent.
	The consultants' findings are broken down by projected impact per member state. For the UK, the consultants estimate that the directive:
	will be worth 5 billion per year to UK business and consumers;
	could create up to 135,000 new jobs; and
	could increase real wages by up to 0.7 per cent.
	Further details on the Copenhagen Economics study are set out in the Government's partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) on the Services Directive which was sent to the EU Scrutiny Committee by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian McCartney) on 9 May. A copy of the RIA is available in the Library of the House.

Iran

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on projects for the promotion of democracy and freedom of information in the Islamic Republic of Iran in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Encouraging respect for human rights and political freedoms is a key element of our approach towards Iran. We do not take sides in Iran's internal political debatesthese are for Iranians themselves to resolvebut seek to promote the internationally recognised principles to which many Iranians aspire, including freedom of speech and transparent, genuinely democratic and accountable government.
	In line with long-standing EU policy, we are committed to supporting political reform. We continue to support the development of governmental and non- governmental organisations where opportunities arise. We do not publicise the details without the consent of our Iranian partners. The EU has allocated around 4.4 million to projects in Iran under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights. Three projects, to which the EU has allocated a total of2.9 million, are implemented by UN agencies. A further 1 million project was launched in January 2005. We are encouraging the EU to allocate more resources to support political reform under the EU's new financial perspective (2007 to 2013).
	On 10 October, the Government announced that they would make resources available to fund a BBC Farsi TV service to be run by the BBC World Service. The service will cost approximately 15 million per year to run in addition to start up costs of approximately9 million.

Carers

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect on carers of the Government's new pension proposals.

James Purnell: Our reforms will make a real difference to carer's incomes in retirement.
	Reducing the number of qualifying years needed for a full basic State Pension to 30 will mean the proportion of women entitled to full basic State Pension will increase to around 70 per cent. of women reaching State Pension age in 2010, compared with around 30 per cent. today.
	Many of these women will be carers, who could also gain from the more generous crediting arrangements in the reformed State Pension.

Child Support Agency

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases of outstanding arrears have been referred to debt collection agencies in each year since 1996-97.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the right, hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty dated 3 October 2006:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency cases of outstanding arrears have been referred to debt collection agencies in each year since 1996-97.
	The Agency did not refer any cases to debt collection agencies before August 2005. Between August 2005 and March 2006 the Agency conducted a small scale pilot using two private debt collection agencies to assess the feasibility of involving the private sector to recover Agency debt. As part of this pilot the Agency referred 2000 cases to these agencies.
	Following the pilot and a procurement exercise the Agency signed contracts with two debt collection agencies on 7th July 2006. Since then the Agency has referred 4,433 cases to these agencies.
	I hope this information is helpful.

National Insurance Numbers

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State forWork and Pensions how many interviews for new national insurance numbers have been carried out at the contact centres at Bedford and Dunstable since July; and how many of the applicants at  (a) Bedford and  (b) Dunstable contact centre lived in (i) Milton Keynes, (ii) Bedford, (iii) Dunstable and (iv) other addresses.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested.

Pathways to Work

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of participants in each Pathways to Work area have entered new deal programmes.

Jim Murphy: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Participants who went on to the new deal for disabled people programme in each Pathways to Work area 
			  Percentage 
			   Pathways to Work  Stock Extension  Combined 
			  Original pilot areas
			 Derbyshire 7.5 4.6 6.9 
			 Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Argyll and Bute 9.3 4.3 8.5 
			 Bridgend, Rhonda, Cynon and Taf 12.8 4.8 11.3 
			 East Lancashire 7.4 3.0 6.4 
			 Somerset 8.2 5.0 7.6 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 11.0 6.2 10.0 
			 Essex 3.9 2.3 3.5 
			 
			  ExpansionPhase One (31 October 2005)
			 Cumbria 1.9   
			 Glasgow 2.2   
			 Lancashire West 3.0   
			 Tees Valley 4.0   
			 
			  ExpansionPhase Two (24 April 2006)
			 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham 3.4   
			 City of Sunderland 3.3   
			 County Durham 3.8   
			 Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire 1.0   
			 Liverpool and the Wirral 0.6   
			 Greater Manchester Central 0.3   
			 Swansea Bay and West Wales 1.9   
			 Total 6.7   
			  Notes:  1. The only new deal programme available to Pathways to Work customers is the new deal for disabled people (NDDP), which is available through the Choices package. 2. As requested this answer is based on the number of participants who have entered Pathways and then subsequently taken up NDDP. The total number of Pathways starts and NDDP take-up is higher as an individual can have multiple spells on Pathways. 3. It would not be appropriate to infer a precise NDDP take-up rate from the data supplied in this response as it would be an underestimate of the true underlying NDDP take-up rate due to the fact that more recent cases will have had less time to take up NDDP. 4. Stock customers can volunteer for the normal Pathways process but since 7 February 2005 some stock customers are mandated to participate. Data is not available for these customers in Expansion Pilot areas.   Source:  Pathways to Work Evaluation Database. Data is to end of June 2006.

Chancellor of the Exchequer

Michael Gove: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the right hon. Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath (Mr. Brown) holding office as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary (John Healey) on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 264W.

India

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what discussions took place in his recent meetings with the Prime Minister of India on caste and descent-based discrimination in India and other countries;
	(2)  what  (a) matters were discussed and  (b) decisions were taken at the UK-India summit on 10 October.

Tony Blair: I discussed a wide range of issues with Prime Minister Singh during the third annual UK-India summit. I also refer the hon. Members to the speech I made at the Investment summit at Lancaster House, and to the press conference I held with Prime Minister Singh on 10 October 2006. Transcripts of these are available on the No. 10 website and copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Social Exclusion

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  whom he consulted before making his speech in September 2006 on social exclusion; who wrote his speech; what inputhe had into its writing; what percentage of the speech he wrote; which  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations he consulted before delivering his speech; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he received from  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public about his speech made in September 2006 on social exclusion; how many (i) supported and (ii) opposed the contents of his speech; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the evidential basis was for his statement that it is possible to identify children who could grow up to be a potential risk to society before they are born; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I wrote my speech following submissions from a wide range of individuals and organisations.
	Chapter 3 of 'Reaching Out: An Action Plan on Social Exclusion' sets out the Government's approach on social exclusion and the topic of early identification. Further detailed information on the research papers on risk and protective factors and early intervention were published at the time of my speech and are available on the Number 10 website. Copies have also been placed in the Library of the House.
	Since my speech I have received 28 letters about the issue of social exclusion. Given the volume of correspondence I receive, thousands of letters each week covering a broad spectrum of issues, my office records letters by subject rather than by the view expressed.

2012 Olympics

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the London 2012 Legacy Guidelines.

Richard Caborn: The overall objectives for the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games clearly outline that we must plan to achieve a sustainable legacy for London and the UK. Considering the legacy impact is therefore an integral part of our planning for the Games. A copy of these objectives will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	For each issue, ranging from the hard physical legacy of the Park to the softer social, economic and environmental legacy, the most relevant organisation has been tasked with maximising the benefits before, during, and after the Games. In addition, an Olympic Park Legacy Group, involving all the key partners, has been set up understand, influence and advise on proposals for the legacy of the Olympic Park.

Disability Discrimination Acts

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the progress of leisure and tourism facilities in complying with the Disability Discrimination Acts.

Shaun Woodward: The Disability DiscriminationAct 1995 requires all providers of tourism and leisure services to address physical barriers faced by disabled people in using their services. Beyond this my Department is working with the tourism industry to ensure that access is available to all.
	My Department fully supports VisitBritain in its operation of the national accessible scheme. The scheme covers the full range of visitor accommodation in three main areas of disabilitymobility, hearing impairment and visual impairment.
	The need to greatly improve disability provision is also prominent in Welcome: Legacy, my Department's current consultation on the Tourism Strategy for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. The consultation seeks views on how best to increase participation in the accessible scheme from the present 435 providers, and on the possible use of the general national accommodation quality schemes to improve levels of provision for disabled visitors. The consultation ends on 17 November.

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 961W, on ministerial office, what the cost was of each redecoration project; and what the total cost of redecoration was over the last five years.

David Lammy: Pursuant to the answer of 24 July 2006, Official Report, column 961, on ministerial office, the cost of each redecoration to the office of the Secretary of State at the Department for Culture Media and Sport was as follows: in 2002 the office was decorated at an estimated cost of 1,200 following water ingress caused by exterior stone cleaning; in 2005 the office was repainted at an estimated cost of 1,300 as part of a planned schedule of works; and in 2006 the office was decorated as part of a complete refurbishment of the DCMS main building at 2-4 Cockspur Street at an estimated cost of 18,164. This includes costs for replacing furniture damaged by faulty air conditioning.
	Total cost of redecorating and refurbishment over the last five years equates to the sum total of the above figures, i.e. 20,664. All figures are exclusive of VAT.

Sports Facilities Funding

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of3 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 727-28W, on sports facilities, how much of the 40 million available for the Community Club Development programme has been allocated; and what the relevant deadlines are for applications for funds until 2008.

Richard Caborn: 40 million has been allocated to 19 national governing bodies (NGBs) in the period 2006-08. These NGBs have allocated, in principle, 35.5 million of this amount to community sports club projects.
	There is no formal deadline for CCDP applications; NGBs will consider applications until their agreed allocations for 2006-08 have been fully committed.

Television Licences

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many official warning letters have been sent out in the past 12 months by television licensing enforcement divisions to households that do not own a television set.

Shaun Woodward: The BBC has statutory responsibility for the administration of the television licensing system and TV Licensing carries out the day to day administration under contract to the Corporation. I have referred this question to BBC's Head of Revenue Management and asked him to reply directly. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to send more helicopters to support troops in Helmand province.

Adam Ingram: Following the Defence Secretary's announcement on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 74-76WS, we have sent two additional CH-47 Chinooks to Afghanistan, making a total of eight, and increased the number of flying hours. The force package is endorsed by the chiefs of staff and kept under regular review.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the General Officer Commanding 2 Division spent on his entertainment budget during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in  (a) 2006 and  (b) each of the preceding three years.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 9 October 2006
	The following table shows expenditure from public funds on entertainment by the General Officer Commanding2 Division during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
	
		
			  Financial year  Expenditure () 
			 2006-07 2,400 
			 2005-06 2,200 
			 2004-05 2,900 
			 2003-04 1,400 
		
	
	Expenditure on official entertainment is subject to strict departmental rules and compliance with the principles of propriety set out in government accounting.

Departmental Staff

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of  (a) staff and  (b) new staff employed since April 2005 in (i) her Department and (ii) each of the agencies for which she has responsibility is recorded as disabled.

Patrick McFadden: Data on the number of staff who are registered as disabled are published annually. The latest published data are for 1 April 2005 and are available in the Library for the reference of Members and on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2005/table_p.xls
	On new entrants to the Department between 1 April 2005 and 31 August 2006, where the information requested results in a figure of five or less these figures are not released as disclosure could lead to the identification of the people involved.
	Unfortunately on this occasion I am unable to provide the information.
	The Office of National Statistics are currently collecting detailed data (including information on disabled status) on civil servants in Departments and agencies with a 30 September 2006 reference date. These data will be available in 2007.
	The declaration of a disability is through a method of self-declaration and is voluntary. Therefore data are only available on those staff who wish to declare themselves as disabled.

Consultancy Fees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1798W, on consultancy fees, for what purposes her Department employed Barry Sutlieff.

Vera Baird: Mr. Sutlieff was employed to fill a short term skills gap. He devised a communications strategy and provided advertising and communication advice to the Judicial Appointments Commission Implementation Team, in financial year 2004-05. The strategy set out how to promote awareness across key stakeholders about how the creation of the Judicial Appointments Commission, upon implementation of the Constitutional Reform Act, would affect Judicial Appointments and what these changes would mean for them.

Voting Arrangements

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what arrangements are in place to enable the mentally ill to vote; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Electoral AdministrationAct 2006 has introduced a number of measures to allow electors who suffer from mental illness to vote. Section 35 of the Act provides that patients detained in mental hospitals can either vote by post or proxy, or in person at a polling station if they have permission to leave the hospital for whatever reason.
	In addition, section 73 of the Act has abolished the old common law that prevented certain persons from voting due to their mental state.
	We intend to commence these sections of the Act in time for elections in May 2007.

Departmental Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2006,  Official Report, column 470W, on departmental expenditure, what steps have been taken to reduce the amount of money spent on advertising; and what review mechanism has been put in place to assess the effectiveness of these steps.

David Hanson: pursuant to the reply, 19 July 2006, Official Report, c. 470W
	Work is under way to implement the new policies and practices set out in the advertising review report published in April 2006:
	The tender process for public notice and recruitment advertising placed in daily newspapers by government departments and their agencies is almost completed. Bids are being evaluated and the outcome will be announced in the next few weeks. Significant savings will result.
	Central Procurement Directorate has switched to online procurement supported by limited 'new-to-view' advertising in order to reduce costs.
	Central negotiations to strike a single government rate for campaign advertising with each of the main media organisations are almost complete. This is the first time this has been done on the basis of aggregated government spend. Substantial discounts off standard rates have been achieved across newspapers, television, radio and outdoor media. The rates will be available to all departments, their agencies and NDPBs.
	An open competition has been run to establish a new Framework Contract for the procurement of advertising agency services. It sets a maximum commission level of13.5 per cent. a reduction of 1.5 per cent. on the previous commission rate. There is an expectation that agencies will deliver discounts below this figure. The protocol for the operation of the Framework sets new standards for briefing agencies, setting targets and measuring effectiveness.
	A new central Advertising Shared Service Centre will drive forward the value for money agenda to ensure advertising campaigns from across government are delivered within a strategic and budgetary framework.
	The preparatory work is being governed by a cross-departmental Programme Board which meets regularly to monitor progress. Regular reports on effectiveness will be made to me.

Higher Education

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students graduated with a Post Graduate Certificate of Education from higher education establishments in Northern Ireland in 2005-06.

Maria Eagle: The latest data held by the Department refers to the 2004-05 academic year. In 2004-05, 448 students gained PGCE qualifications at the NI Higher Education Institutions. Data for the 2005-06 academic year will be available from the end of January 2007.

NHS Trusts

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy to appoint at least one qualified  (a) nurse and  (b) doctor to the board of each of the new NHS Trusts in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Membership of the Boards of Health and Social Services Trusts is set out in the Healthand Social Services Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991. These regulations require that boards' executive directors shall include
	a medical or dental practitioner and a registered nurse or registered midwife.

Physiotherapy

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many physiotherapy graduates there were from higher education establishments in Northern Ireland in 2005-06.

Maria Eagle: The latest data held by the Department refers to the 2004-05 academic year. In 2004-05,78 students gained physiotherapy qualifications at the NI Higher Education Institutions. Data for the 2005-06 academic year will be available from the end ofJanuary 2007.

Road Freight

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many road freight journeys are expected to be made in Northern Ireland in each of the next 10 years; and how many such journeys are estimated to have been made in each of the last three years.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin has written to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 16 October 2006:
	We have consulted with officials in other Departments and elsewhere within the Department for Regional Development, but unfortunately the information that you requested is not held. Roads Service does however carry out a vehicle kilometres of travel (VKT) survey each year to estimate the total distance travelled by vehicles on Northern Ireland's road network. This provides a measure of the usage of the various roads and facilitates a direct comparison with the rest of the United Kingdom and other European Countries.
	The following table lists the estimated total distance travelled by each of the five different categories of vehicle during the past three years.
	
		
			  Million 
			  VKT  2003  2004  2005 
			 Class 1 - Cars and Vans 15,970 16,751 16,916 
			 Class 2 - Medium Commercial 1,061 1,002 992 
			 Class 3 - Heavy Commercial 734 655 665 
			 Class 4 - Articulated Commercial 423 385 392 
			 Class 5 - Bus and Coach 60 60 58 
			 Total 18,248 18,853 19,023 
		
	
	With regard to estimating future road freight journeys no formal forecast exists. However within Roads Service we use transport models to develop traffic forecasts to enable us to assess the viability of proposed road schemes.
	From the information we have available I can advise that our forecasts for the growth of all road traffic journeys indicates that the growth rate will fall to under 2 per cent. per annum by 2012.

Teachers

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students in Northern Ireland qualified as teachers in each of the last five years; and how many of those who qualified found jobs within one year of qualifying in each year.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Students gaining qualifications from initial teacher training courses and number recording employment as destination activity six months after graduation 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			  Academic year  Initial teacher training qualifiers  In employment (6 months after graduation) 
			 2000-01 700 574 
			 2001-02 716 620 
			 2002-03 772 616 
			 2003-04 779 632 
			 2004-05 804 648 
			  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency 
		
	
	The Department only holds information on the destinations of students six months after graduation. In 2000-01 and 2001-02 the figures only include those recording their main activity as employment. From 2002-03, students were no longer asked to identify their main activity and all those recording employment have been included.
	The latest available data relates to the 2004-05 academic year.

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccination

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what direct cost savings have been achieved through the ending of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination programme in schools.

Caroline Flint: Funding for immunisation services, including the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination programme, form part of the annual allocation to primary care trusts. PCTs are responsible for the management of those monies and running of immunisation programmes. As a result of the changes to the BCG vaccination programme, PCTs will redirect monies to reflect how the BCG programme will be implemented within their PCT.

Bowel Cancer

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Government will fully fund the provision of Erbitox and Avastan to sufferers of bowel cancer; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Provision is made in the allocation of funding to the health service for new and innovative drugs. It is a matter for local commissioners on how best to deploy those resources.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is developing guidance to the national health service on the use of bevacizumab (Avastin) and cetuximab (Erbitux) for the treatment of advanced bowel cancer. It has not yet issued final guidance.

Information (Integration)

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in encouraging pilot projects between local authorities and primary care trusts to develop an integrated approach to information as set out in the Our Health Our Care Our Say White Paper; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is currently developing options for pilot projects between primary care trusts and local authorities and have identified a number of potential partners for these pilots. We are aware of a number of existing models of good practice in integrated information provision which we will evaluate. The development of the pilots will also be informed by the findings of the review of the provision of health and social care information, which is also a White Paper commitment.

MRSA

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been treated for MRSA infection in  (a) England and  (b) each region in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally. The most reliable data on methicillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in England are for MRSA bloodstream infections from April 2001 through the mandatory surveillance scheme. Regional data for each six month period from April 2001 to March 2006 was published on 24 July 2006, and this is available on the Health Protection Agency's website at:
	http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/mandatory_ report_2006.htm

Departmental Staff

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many disabled people were hired by her Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what percentage of the overall work force these figures represented in each year; and how many disabled people left their employment in her Department over the same period.

Angela Smith: The available figures for the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), relate to the figures from the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister who provided the majority of staff now working in DCLG. The figures are available for 2003, 2004, and 2005 only. They are based solely on voluntary declaration of disability under the Disability Discrimination Act and not connected in any way to a formal register of disability. The figures are as follows:
	2005Fewer than five staff entrants recorded themselves as disabled. 10 members of staff who recorded themselves as disabled left the Department.
	2004Fewer than five staff entrants recorded themselves as disabled. 10 members of staff recorded themselves as disabled left the Department.
	2003Fewer than five staff entrants recorded themselves as disabled. Less than five members' of staff recorded themselves as disabled left the Department.
	The percentage of the overall work force these figures represent is minimal.
	Further information can be found at the following Cabinet Office link:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/reports/index.asp

Extremism

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of the proposals from the Preventing Extremism Together working group  (a) have been completed and  (b) are in progress.

Meg Munn: On 17 July 2006, the Department published on its website details of progress made on the recommendations from the Preventing Extremism Together working groups. Further details can be found at: http://www. communities.gov.uk/index. asp?id=l501973.

Local Government

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority workers in each local authority area in Durham  (a) retired and  (b) took ill-health retirement in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The number of local authority workers who were members of the local authority pension scheme administered by Durham county council who  (a) retired and  (b) took ill health retirement in each of the last five years for which data are available, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Normal retirement  Ill-health retirement 
			 2000-01 90 139 
			 2001-02 49 115 
			 2002-03 119 77 
			 2003-04 87 96 
			 2004-05 140 55 
		
	
	These data are taken from the SF3 Local Government Pensions Schemes form completed each year by administrators of local authority pension schemes and returned to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Durham county council administers a single pension scheme for staff of the county council and the seven local authorities within the county of Durham, the administration staff of the police and fire service and staff of a further 43 bodies in the scheme including parish council, town councils, statutory bodies, colleges and admitted bodies.

Local Government Finance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department has had with Sir Michael Lyons in the last 12 months on reform of local government finance and structures.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friends the Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister appointed Sir Michael Lyons to undertake an independent inquiry to consider the funding, form and function of local government. His terms of reference do not include local government structures. My departmental colleagues and I have had a number of discussions with Sir Michael as he takes forward his inquiry.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, dated 24 May (acknowledged 31 May 2006 re B13764/6) regarding Mr. M. Lewis, HO Ref L1049561.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) wrote to my right hon. Friend on 26 September 2006. In the light of your question, Mr. Lewis' case was reviewed and, as a result, IND wrote again to my right hon. Friend on 5 October.

Crime

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to reduce the number of vehicle break-ins in Milton Keynes.

Tony McNulty: Vehicle crime, including both theft of and theft from motor vehicles, is addressed in the Milton Keynes Community Safety Partnership's (CSP) overall strategy for crime reduction, which is supported by a detailed Police Basic Command Unit (BCU) Crime Reduction Plan. The CSP continues to target vehicle crime through enforcement, prevention, intelligence and communication.
	Police operations have been targeted both at known offenders and at those areas where offences have been committed. These have been supported by regular dedicated automatic number plate recognition operations and the daily use of this technology by the Thames Valley Police Roads Policing Department in the Milton Keynes area. The CSP has also made effective use of CCTV, and has both a fixed and a mobile capability to target known 'hotspot' locations.
	There are currently 45 adult offenders on the Milton Keynes Prolific and Priority Offenders scheme, receiving intensive supervision by both the police and probation service. Of these, 23 have offending histories of, or current links to, vehicle crime.
	The CSP and police have undertaken a number of actions to raise
	awareness of vehicle crime and advise the public on how to protect their property. For instance, as more than 20 per cent. of vehicle crime in Milton Keynes since January 2006 has been associated with satellite navigation systems, specific communications activity has taken place to raise public awareness and reduce offending opportunities.
	In the longer term the partnership continues to seek to improve the overall security of its car parks.
	At a national level, officials have produced a crime prevention leaflet on the internet aimed specifically at theft of satellite navigation devices and have liaised with four of the biggest manufacturers, resulting in the introduction of improved security features in a number of devices that have recently come on the market.

Crime

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicle break-ins were recorded in Milton Keynes in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Tony McNulty: Milton Keynes is a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area (CDRP) and data at CDRP level is available from 1999-2000.
	The Home Office does not collect statistics specifically relating to 'vehicle break-ins'. Such offences would be included within the recorded crime classification of 'theft from a vehicle' and figures for this offence are provided in the following tables. However, it is not possible to identify the method by which property is removed i.e. whether a vehicle was actually broken into in order to obtain property.
	
		
			  Table 1: Recorded offences of theft from a vehicle in the Milton Keynes Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area1999-2000 to 2001-02 
			   Number of offences 
			 1999-2000 4,161 
			 2000-01 2,394 
			 2001-02 2,960 
			  Note:Expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules came into effect on 1 April 1998. The figures in this table are therefore not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Recorded offences of theft from a vehicle in the Milton Keynes Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area2002-03 to 2005-06 
			   Number of offences 
			 2002-03 2,533 
			 2003-04 2,382 
			 2004-05 2,555 
			 2005-06 2,334 
			  Note:The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

DNA Database

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green, of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 293-94W, on the DNA database, how many in each category were not convicted of an offence.

John Reid: It is not currently possible to determine how many of the 124,347 CJ arrestees (persons with a DNA profile on the National DNA Database who have been arrested and subsequently not charged or cautioned with an offence) have never been convicted of an offence. However, some partial, new information is available on the number of these persons who have previously been charged, reported for summons or sanctioned(1) for another offence. This information was obtained by the ACPO Criminal Records Office Team who have been monitoring the DNA sampling of persons arrested for a recordable offence. The information available is shown in the following table.
	The figures show that 23,519 of the 124,347 persons with a DNA profile on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) who had been arrested but not charged or cautioned with an offence had a PNC record created prior to the arrest event when their DNA sample was taken. This indicates that these persons had previously been charged, reported for summons or sanctioned for at least one other offence.
	The figures might suggest that the remaining 100,828 persons have never been charged, reported for summons or sanctioned for any offence. However, information is not currently available on the proportion of the 124,347 persons who may have been charged, reported for summons or sanctioned for an offence after the arrest event when their DNA sample was taken.
	The Home Office, ACPO and PITO are working towards being able to provide such information from the NDNAD and PNC.
	(1)Sanctions include convictions and cautions (including reprimands and final warnings.
	
		
			  Breakdown of CJ arrestees on the National DNA Database showing persons where a PNC record had been created prior to the arrest and NFA( 1)  event 
			   Total number of records broken down by ethnicity  Number of records where a PNC record had been created prior to the arrest and NFA event( 2)  Number of records where a PNC record had not been created prior to the arrest and NFA event( 3) 
			  6+1 ethnic appearance rating
			 White European 79,349 18,717 60,632 
			 Dark European 2,183 272 1,911 
			 Afro-Caribbean 9,208 1,742 7,466 
			 Asian 7,889 1,135 6,754 
			 Oriental 1,067 60 1,007 
			 Arab 1,370 120 1,250 
			 
			  Non-ethnic visual appearance code
			 White 10,522 1,058 9,464 
			 Non-white 7,155 227 6,928 
			 
			  Unknown including N/T, not recorded, raw data not available 5,604 188 5,416 
			 
			 Total 124,347 23,519 100,828 
			 (1)NFAno further action was taken, ie the person was arrested and subsequently not charged or cautioned with an offence.  (2) Data indicates that the PNC record had been created up to 31 December 2003. Records where the individual was arrested after the arrest and NFA event are not included.  (3) Data indicates that the record was created after 31 December 2003. In these cases, the arrest and NFA event is likely to be the first time an individual has come to police notice.   Note:  Of the 124,347 total records, it has not been possible to obtain the ethnic appearance information of 5,604.

Foreign Prisoners

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Abul Azad will be deported to his country of origin once he has served his sentence.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 October 2006
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 22 August 2006.

Migrant Workers

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed reforms in the way statistics for migrant workers from EU countries are calculated.

Liam Byrne: The Home Department has no current plans to change the way in which we collect statistics for migrant workers from EU countries.

Spam E-mail

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to host a world event to discuss increasing levels of spam email since the introduction of the Privacy and Communications Act 2003.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	We have no plans to host an international event on spam. The subject is on the agenda of relevant multilateral bodies and we expect it to be one of the subjects discussed in the forthcoming Internet Governance Forum in Athens.

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) other persons in each year since 2001-02.

John Healey: The available information is presented in the table. In most cases, the bodies' accounting systems do not record accommodation costs separately, so the figures are for subsistence, which includes accommodation and associated allowances for meals. Therefore further analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2006 is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2006-07 will be published after the end of the current financial year.
	All travel and subsistence is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
	
		
			  000 
			  Department/agency/NDPB   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 HM Treasury(1) UK  49 85 78 72 
			  Overseas  260 237 272 323 
			
			 Debt Management Office UK 2 2 1 2 3 
			  Overseas 4 9 6 4 3 
			
			 Office of Government Commerce UK 339 332 373 455 539 
			  Overseas 26 64 11 10 8 
			
			 OGCbuying.solutions(2)  74 118 186 191 313 
			
			 Valuation Office Agency(3)  1,041 1,040 1,164 1,255 1,418 
			 HM Revenue and Customs(4) UK 39,278 40,246 43,254 46,290 44,924 
			  Overseas 3,994 4,162 4,789 4,350 4,519 
			
			 Royal Mint(3)  490 466 536 486 514 
			
			 National Savings and Investments(5)  145 117 92 103 125 
			
			 Office of National Statistics UK 2,264 2,210 2,702 3,005 2,729 
			  Overseas 642 636 612 504 539 
			
			 Government Actuary's Department(6) UK   5 3 10 
			  Overseas   10 14 17 
			
			 Statistics Commission UK 0 0 0 1 0 
			  Overseas 0 0 0 0 1 
			 (1) Treasury figures include Ministers, staff and other persons. Treasury subsistence costs for 2001-02 cannot be disaggregated from travel costs.(2) OGCbuying.solutions figures are for accommodation only, excluding meals, including both UK and overseas accommodation.(3) The amounts for The Royal Mint and The Valuation Office Agency include both UK and overseas subsistence.(4) HM Revenue and Customs figures include travel costs of the former HM Customs and Excise which cannot be disaggregated from subsistence.(5) The figures for National Savings and Investments are the estimated cost of both UK and Overseas travel and subsistence.(6) GAD are unable to provide any data covering financial years 2001-02 and 2002-03.

Iran

Keith Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions were held at the most recent Group of Seven Finance Ministers meeting on measures to limit Iran's access to international financial systems.

Edward Balls: At their September meeting, G7 Ministers discussed a number of global economic issues. Among these, they discussed abuser of the international financial system and agreed to intensify their efforts to combat monetary laundering, proliferation networks as well as terrorist and illicit financing by addressing global financial vulnerabilities particularly those associated with jurisdictions that have failed to recognize international standards. They urged the FATF to focus on identifying and adopting appropriate measures within its mandate and asked the IMF and the World Bank to work closely with the FATF to foster implementation of the relevant international standards. They also encouraged all countries to publish their full evaluations.

Tax Credits

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether his Department plans to change the way that tax credit overpayments are recovered;
	(2)  whether he has made an assessment of the merits of a system of suspending payments until the overpayment is cleared for dealing with tax credit overpayments.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary's and my remarks to the House on 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 293 and columns 326-27.
	HMRC's policy is set out in CoP26, What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit. When HMRC seek recovery of an overpayment they seek to do so in a manner which will not put a family in financial difficulty. PBR 2005 announced that from November 2006 HMRC will apply automatic limits on recovery of excess amounts paid where awards are adjusted in-year following a reported change. These limits will be the same as the current limits on cross-year overpayment recovery, and will ensure that no low- to middle-income family faces unexpected reductions in tax credit payments.

UK Oil Refiners (Tax Revenue)

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax revenue was received from UK oil refiners in the last year for which figures are available.

John Healey: Corporation Tax liability data is published by industry group on the HMRC website. The latest figures are available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/11_5_oct05.pdf
	Data for UK oil refiners is included within the Energy, water supply group in Table T11.5. Specific data for oil refiners is not produced and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.